Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund

The Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund aims to enhance the effectiveness of land trusts in Maine by strengthening governance, leadership, and financial stability. It promotes equity and inclusion in organizational practices, encouraging diverse community engagement. This initiative also supports land trusts in building social capital and ensures that conserved lands are accessible to all communities, fostering meaningful experiences in conservation efforts.

The Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund provides general operating support to Maine land trusts. This is a competitive grant program open to all land trusts in Maine. We will prioritize funding applicants that are: working to center justice, open to trying new things, expressing vulnerability  through sharing learnings, and committed to challenging colonial systems in conservation.
Program Goals
Strengthen the land trust community’s governance, leadership, strategic planning, financial stability, programming, and organizational development.
Help land trusts integrate equity and inclusion in their organizational policies, practices, and programming.
Position land trusts to broaden their membership, including by engaging BIPOC, low-income people, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities.
Support land trusts in developing additional social capital and infrastructure by facilitating connections to share lessons, opportunities, and growth.
Ensure that conservation is rooted in community, and that conserved land is accessible to the broadest range of communities for meaningful experience.

Eligibility

To apply, you must be a Maine land trust. Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status. Applications must contain a valid EIN (tax ID) number to be considered.For the purpose of this grant program, Momentum Conservation defines a land trust as an organization whose mission and focus is to actively conserve land through easements or acquisition for purposes that may include: providing public access and housing, protecting agricultural land, ecosystems, land of cultural significance, water quality, and/or addressing climate resilience in perpetuity.